Intake heater



y 1959 4 R. L. COOPER 2,886,688

' INTAKE HEATER Filed Jan. 31, 1958 2, I r/9 /6 rm. 2 z0 L4 F/G.5

/9 INVENTOR ATTORNEY INTAKE HEATER Roy L. Cooper, Waterman, Ill., assignor to Waterman Engineering Corporation, Waterman, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application January 31, 1958, Serial No. 712,492

2 Claims. (Cl. 219-38) The present invention relates to electric heaters for intake manifolds of internal combustion engines to facilitate starting, especially in cold weather.

The main object of the invention is to heat the intake manifold so that it will in turn heat the inlet charge of air or mixture passing therethrough.

A further object is to make this heater in the form of a substantially fiat collar that may be inserted in place of a gasket in the joint between the intake manifold and its connection to the carburetor or air inlet pipe of the engine.

A further object is to use an lnconel covered heater element cast in the collar and having terminals for said element on the outside of the casting for connection to any power supply.

A further object is to provide a male plug connected to these terminals for receiving a female plug at the end of a cord for supplying power from a standard house current outlet to the heater temporarily while starting the engine.

A further object is to provide a small cup-shaped fuel receiving chamber in an extension of the casting to one side of the joint and between the terminal portions of the heater element, which is looped around the other side of the joint, and a vaporizing passage in the casting from the bottom of said chamber to the inside of the manifold passage near the top of the casting, and a filler cap closure for the top of said chamber, whereby a charge of liquid fuel may be placed in said chamber and the heater con nected to any available extraneous source of electric power for heating the manifold and vaporizing the charge of liquid fuel to facilitate starting the engine in cold weather or under other adverse starting conditions.

Other and more specific objects will become apparent in the following detailed description of a preferred form of heater unit built in accordance with the present invention and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 shows an elevation of a portion of an oil engine with the electric heater unit mounted in place in the normal gasket joint between the flanges of the intake manifold and the intake conduit,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view in section, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view in elevation, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The internal combustion engine, whether it be a low or high compression using any type of fuel and ignition, is often subject to difficult starting in cold weather or under other adverse conditions. This is especially true of heavy oil or diesel type of engines used with farm ma chinery in the winter time, or even in the summer time when the engine is not in the best of operating conditions which impair its compression, ignition or carburetion.

It has been customary in many cases of this kind to submit the engine to some harsh, dangerous and expensive treatment to overcome this difficulty in starting, often United States Patent ICC resorting to the use of ether and other explosive materials and requiring the assistance of two or more men and a lot of turning effort before getting the engine to fire.

The simple device of the present invention has solved these problems most economically and efiiciently when used even without the additional fuel charge, in all except the more stubborn cases, merely by providing a sufiiciently large capacity of heat flow to the intake manifold to efiiciently heat the inlet air or mixture for immediate firing.

in the form illustrated, the casting 10 may be of aluminum alloy or other good heat conducting material providing large contact surfaces with the flanges 11 and 12 of the intake manifold 13 and inlet pipe 14 respectively of the internal combustion engine 15. These flanges are normally joined together with a gasket between them to provide a leakproof joint, but when replacing the gasket by this heater unit, the joining faces may be sealed together by a coating of any good sealing compound having a high degree of heat conduction, such as Permagasket, a standard trade product in paste form.

The lnconel covered heater element 16 commonly called Calrod or by some other trade names, out in suitable length and formed as shown, may be cast into the casting 10, and provided with suitable terminal fittings 17 for connection to any available extraneous source of current, such as a standard v. outlet near at hand, or they may be connected to any other available source on the tractor or other apparatus in which the engine is mounted.

Bolts 13 of suitable length may be provided with each unit to mount the unit between flanges of any intake joint of corresponding size.

The casting 10 is extended to one side of the joint through which the terminal portions 19 of the heater element 16 are extended, and a cup-shaped chamber 20 is formed in this extension 21 to receive a charge of fluid fuel, and is normally closed by a filler cap 22 which may be hinged and biased into closed position by a hinge spring 23.

The bottom of this chamber is connected a vaporizer passage 24 opening near the top of the casting 10 on the inside of the intake passage 25.

Thus by a sufficient supply of current to the heater element, an ample amount of heat may be supplied to a large portion of the intake manifold by direct conduction, to heat the inlet air or mixture for vaporizing the normal charge of fuel in the mixture, for immediate starting; or, if necessary, an additional charge of liquid fuel may be added by way of the chamber 29 for vaporization in the casting and feeding through the opening into the inlet passage 25 to mix with the air passing through said passage to form a readily combustible charge for easy starting, without the assistance of additional help besides the operator himself.

For hard starting diesel engines, a gasoline charge may be introduced in chamber 29 for easier vaporization and quicker starting, if necessary.

Applying ether to the intake, as has heretofore been necessary in many cases, requires the assistance of a person to apply the ether at the front of the tractor while the operator manipulates the starter. The present unit is much more economical, reliable and safe, and requires no assistance from additional personnel. it is simple and easy to install and does not interfere with normal operation of the engine.

Many obvious modifications in details and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A heater unit adaptable for installation between the flanges of the intake manifold joint to the inlet pipe of asaaese an internal combustion engine, comprising a substantially flat collar casting of heat conducting material having an extended portion to one side of said joint, and an electric heater unit in said casting passed around the intake passage and having terminal portions extending through said extended portion, with terminal fittings at the ends of said terminal portions for connection to a source of electric current, the portion of said heater passed around the intake passage having its inner surface flush with the passage Wall.

2. A heater unit as defined in claim 1 having a liquid fuel receiving cup-shaped chamber formed in the extended portion of said casting, a filler cap for said chamber normally biased into closed position, and a vaporizing passage for the fuel extending through said casting from a '4 the bottom of said chamber to the inside of the intake passage near the top of said casting.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,136,845 Tate Apr. 20, 1915 1,230,909 Lepper June 26, 1917 1,406,048 McCulloch Feb. 7, 1922 1,432,712 Mark et al Oct. 17, 1922 1,456,018 Wiegand May 22, 1923 1,463,774 Godman et al July 31, 1923 1,529,716 Prefontaine Mar. 17, 1925 2,668,900 Kwartz Feb. 9, 1954 

